4/15/2013

Review: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Published February 6, 2012.
Published by Egmont Press.
Source: Won from Manda-Rae Reads a Lot. Thank you!

Goodreads Blurb:I have two weeks. You’ll shoot me at the end no matter what I do.

That’s what you do to enemy agents. It’s what we do to enemy agents. But I look at all the dark and twisted roads ahead and cooperation is the easy way out. Possibly the only way out for a girl caught red-handed doing dirty work like mine — and I will do anything, anything, to avoid SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden interrogating me again.

He has said that I can have as much paper as I need. All I have to do is cough up everything I can remember about the British War Effort. And I’m going to. But the story of how I came to be here starts with my friend Maddie. She is the pilot who flew me into France — an Allied Invasion of Two.

We are a sensational team.

My Review:
What a beautiful novel. It was powerful, it was heart-wrenching, and it kept me up until the wee hours of the morning reading because I just could not put it down.

Despite a bit of a slow start, this novel is exactly what I look for in historical fiction. It is written like diary entries as Verity's information reveal to her German captor and is one of the most emotional novels I have read in a while. It really brought me into the mind of a girl kept in what for many today would be an unimaginable situation.

I loved Verity as a character. She is a very likeable narrator who loves to throw some twists at her captors (and therefore at the reader as well). It was really interesting to me how self-deprecating she was while also remaining so endearing. She has wit and she is amusingly clever, even though she is in the worst of circumstances, which are certainly not glossed over. The harsh realities of being a prisoner-of-war in German-Occupied France during World War II are explored through Verity's convincing and terrifying fears and really helped to bring the horror of the time alive. Her story is absolutely heartbreaking and it's so easy to let it get to you, but because Verity as narrator is so entertaining, she doesn't let you wallow in it. She reveals something absolutely horrible and then makes some remark or tells some story that you can't help but enjoy until the horror begins to slip your mind. The way she was written truly makes for the perfect combination of humour and heartbreak that this kind of novel set in this time period deserves.

There were a few other aspects about the story that I loved. Since it is written as Verity recording her past like flashbacks, there was an interesting blend of her memories from then and her comments on the situations from now that made for a great flow. I found it very cool how I would learn something and immediately want to go back and read the last section of the novel again with this new information or perspective I had. Also, while I was reading, I would find myself with a question only to have it answered soon afterwards, which really encouraged me to keep reading and learning more. Not to mention the unexpected twists later in the novel that turned everything on its head. That I absolutely loved. It really was an amazing novel in all its aspects.5 stars!

Elizabeth was kind enough to provide a signed copy of Code Name Verity to one lucky reader!

Some Rules (aka the not so fun but important part):
~ This giveaway is open Internationally.
~ No P.O. boxes.
~ Must be 13 or older to enter.
~ Winner will be chosen randomly and contacted via email. The winner has 48 hours to respond to my email, otherwise they forfeit their prize and I will choose another winner, who must abide by the same rules.
~ Neither Elizabeth nor I are not responsible for lost or damaged packages.
~ No cheating! In this case, I have the right to disqualify entries as I see fit.
~ By entering the giveaway, you are agreeing to these rules.

32 comments:

I've been wanting to read this book for forever! Something inside of me has always loved fiction about WW2. I think it was after I found out I was Jewish that it all started. I wanted to learn more about my history and so I started reading up on WW2 and fell in love with war novels! I'm so glad that you liked this one and had so many awesome things to say about it! Great review! Fingers crossed that this ends up in my hands!

It's nice to find someone else who has the same fascination with WWII novels! I always find myself drawn to them, though I'm not entirely sure why. This one is definitely a stand-out among them all, though.

Ooooh! 5 Stars! This is the kind of book I would read. Verity sounds like a character I--everyone-- would love. Great interview and I actually read a book that "encouraged me to keep reading and learning more" because of the questions that circled around my head while reading the book! If a book makes you stay up until the wee hours of the morning, then it's a great book! Thank you Elizabeth for this great giveaway!

I have seen so much good praise for this one and I think it is worth all of it. I think that especially if you love history you should absolutely pick this one up. Completely worth it. And I totally agree with you about the wit being so enjoyable. I hope you like Verity as much as I did :)

This book keeps catching my eye on teh shelves and i've been wanting to read it forever. I have always been a little hesitant about Historical fiction novels for some unknown reason, so it's good to hear what you thought about it.

I think that even if you're hesitant to read historical fiction, you can still find something you'll enjoy about this one. Yes, it is clearly set during WWII, but there is SO MUCH MORE to the story than just that. Give it a shot :)

This book reminds of TAMAR by Mal Peet in a way! I don't read a lot of WWII fiction, just because I feel like I know what I'm going into from the start. This sounds like a book that handles the issues sensitively and honestly and that makes me want to read it. And of course, a fantastic narrator helps.

I haven't heard of that one but I'll definitely need to look it up! I think this one really stands out from other WWII fiction I've read because there was just so much to it, and it was the story of a girl and her best friend, not the story of a war between countries.

You had me with the first paragraph! I've been wanting to read this book for awhile and it just gets pushed back on my to be read list. I love many genres including historical fiction. I have always been interested in WWII and have read a few heart wrenching holocaust novels. Thank you for the warning that it is a slow start. I'll keep that in mind and not give up.